Anthony Gordon would be a ‘did we miss something?’ signing for Chelsea. What do they know that we don’t?
Anthony Gordon is Frank Lampard’s boy. As he did with Mason Mount at Chelsea, Lampard has used the academy product as a young role model for the rest of the Everton squad and a means of bringing the fans back onside. This lad knows what it means to play for this football club – look at his heart, effort and desire etc etc.
Back in May, Lampard said: “I love working with him [Gordon], love him as a player. There are things he wants to improve and he can improve and that’s absolutely normal in terms of development. But what he’s doing for us at the minute, he’s an absolutely huge player.”
The 21-year-old – who has started all but two of Lampard’s 20 Premier League games in charge – was key to Everton avoiding the drop last season, becoming a fan favourite as he refused to shirk responsibility like many of his teammates, and is now the subject of serious interest from Chelsea.
Reports claim Blues owner Todd Boehly has seen two bids rejected by Everton and is now preparing a third close to £50m. Gone are the days of the Chelsea hierarchy making bids without the manager’s say-so; if Boehly is chasing Gordon, Thomas Tuchel is on board.
The question Chelsea fans and football followers in general will be asking is simple: Why?
Gordon was in the top tenth percentile for combined tackles and interceptions and ranks highly for pressures and passes blocked among his peers in the Premier League last season. Off the ball, he’s excellent.
You also get the sense that he would score highly if you were able to measure the immeasurables. He’s hard-working, committed and appears mouldable. He will leave everything on the pitch, attempt to carry out the manager’s instructions to a tee and do everything possible to make the most of his ability. It’s easy to see why Lampard loves him.
But that can’t be enough for Chelsea.
The problem is, little of what we’ve seen of Gordon suggests he has the quality to play Champions League football. He’s a strong but unskilful runner with the ball, favouring a kick-and-run approach which results in him being fouled a lot (only ten players were fouled more per 90 in the Premier League last season) which is obviously a positive, but he offers little attacking output besides.
He’s got four goals and eight assists in 62 games for Everton and is in the bottom quartile for shot-creating actions,…
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